FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Week 3 worked out quite well for the Atlanta Falcons.
They kicked off the week against the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night and delivered their best performance of the young season under the prime-time lights. Running back Bijan Robinson and wide receiver Drake London each gained 194 yards on the ground and through the air, respectively, helping the offense put up 35 points in Michael Penix Jr.'s return as starting quarterback.
It was the only victory the division accrued in Week 3, allowing Atlanta to create a three-way tie atop the standings. It's still early in the 2026 season, but as we've learned through the numerous tight division races in recent years, every victory matters greatly.
Throughout the season, this piece will check in on the four teams in the division, tracking their performance and noting the standout players from each game. Teams will be listed in the order in which they appear in the division standings.
- Carolina Panthers: 1-2 (1-0 vs. division)
- New Orleans Saints: 1-2
- Atlanta Falcons: 1-2 (0-1 vs. division)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 0-3
Carolina Panthers
Last game: Lost 21-18 at Cleveland Browns (2-1)
Offensive standout: WR Brycen Tremayne
A special shoutout to left guard Damien Lewis, who was playing very well in this game before injuring his elbow near the end of the first half. Tremayne, however, was the Panthers' top offensive weapon on an afternoon where points were hard to come by. The third-year receiver caught four of his six targets for 83 yards, including an impressive, leaping 31-yard grab down the left sideline at the end of the third quarter. Quarterback Bryce Young had a 109.7 passer rating when targeting Tremayne in this game.
Defensive standout: S Tre'von Moehrig
Moehrig had a good all-around game against the Browns, which is exactly what you'd want from a strong safety. He finished with four tackles, including one tackle for a loss, two quarterback pressures and allowed just one catch for 7 yards on four targets.
Telling quote: "[It is a] game of execution. That's what it comes down to. A couple of red zone and fringe opportunities; we came away with field goals, not touchdowns. Big difference there. [We] missed a few turnover [opportunities] early on on the defensive side, and gave them an opportunity to continue their drives. Some untimely penalties, some things that really hurt us, and we have to be smarter in some of those areas. We have to contain the rush better." — Panthers head coach Dave Canales.
Stat behind the stat — Powered by Microsoft Copilot: 939
Despite the loss, Bryce Young now has 939 passing yards through three games.
According to the Panthers, that's the second-most passing yards by a Carolina quarterback through the first three games of a season in franchise history, trailing only Cam Newton's 1,012 in 2011. Young also became the first Panthers quarterback to throw for at least 280 yards in each of the season's first three games. He added another 291 yards against Cleveland, but Carolina's offense ultimately couldn't capitalize on its yardage advantage in a three-point loss.
New Orleans Saints
Last game: Lost 35-27 vs. Las Vegas Raiders (3-0)
Offensive standout: QB Tyler Shough
Shough has been on a tear to start the season. His 917 passing yards are the second-most in the NFL through three weeks, behind only Bryce Young, and he was once again the engine for New Orleans' offense in a shootout against the Raiders. The second-year passer was 29-of-42 for 255 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. So far this season, Shough has eight touchdowns to three interceptions. He has been sacked 10 times, however, which also ranks second among quarterbacks.
Defensive standout: OLB Chase Young
Like the offensive standout, this week's defensive standout for the Saints remains the same. It's hard to give this recognition to anyone else, though, when Young collected a pair of sacks and now has 3.5 in his last two games. He ranks fourth in the league so far in sacks and has played some of his best football to start the 2026 season.
Telling quote: "I think in many ways, there is a lot of good stuff on this film. As painful as this loss is, as frustrating as this loss is, we can't let this thing linger too long. We were in a position to finish that game, and we didn't finish it. We had our opportunities and were not able to get it done. We have to recognize the entire film, not just the ending." — Saints head coach Kellen Moore.
Stat behind the stat — Powered by Microsoft Copilot: 5
The Saints' final five possessions produced four turnovers and one punt.
That sequence completely erased what had been one of Tyler Shough's best performances as a pro. Shough threw four touchdown passes and had New Orleans leading 27-22 entering the fourth quarter. Then the Saints unraveled: fumble, interception, fumble, fumble after a preceding punt. The Raiders turned the chaos into 13 unanswered points and a comeback victory.
Atlanta Falcons
Last game: Won 35-14 at Green Bay Packers (1-2)
Offensive standout: RB Bijan Robinson
Wide receiver Drake London also deserves mention here for his best performance of the season, but Robinson seemed unstoppable once again for the Falcons on Thursday night. He finished with 213 total yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns, becoming just the 10th player in NFL history to surpass 6,000 career scrimmage yards by the age of 25.
Defensive standout: DE Cameron Thomas
In his first season with the Falcons, Thomas has quietly made a big impact on Atlanta's defensive line. He played 43 snaps against the Packers—the most of any defensive lineman—and logged six quarterback pressures and a sack.
Telling quote: "Proud of the effort. Had to be resilient on a short week, I thought we were, and then very, very proud of the complimentary ball that was out there. It starts with our special teams. I thought we covered kicks really well, and then just feeding off of each other. Our defense gets a huge stop there in the second half, in the third quarter and our offense goes 90 (yards). It didn't put the game away by any stretch of the imagination, but it just showed that's something we can do, take the ball, whether it's by turnover on downs or otherwise and go score a touchdown. I'm proud overall of the effort. It counts as one and we've got to get back at it next week." — Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Stat behind the stat — Powered by Microsoft Copilot: 194
Bijan Robinson's 194 rushing yards weren't the second-most of his career; he single-handedly outgained the entire Packers rushing attack by 177 yards.
Atlanta finished with 242 rushing yards while Green Bay managed only 17. Robinson accounted for more than 80% of the Falcons' ground production and became the engine behind an offense that controlled possession for over 37 minutes and piled up 498 total yards. The Falcons entered Week 3 averaging just 8.0 points per game through two contests. With Michael Penix Jr. back under center, Robinson's breakout performance helped produce nearly five times that output in a statement road win.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last game: Lost 23-16 vs. Minnesota Vikings (3-0)
Offensive standout: LT Tristan Wirfs
There were not many positives for Tampa Bay's offense on Sunday against the blitz-heavy Vikings defense. Despite the added bodies in the Vikings' pass rush, Wirfs held his own well and continues to be one of the premier blindside protectors in the NFL. He allowed just five pressures on 46 pass-blocking snaps, according to Next Gen Stats.
Defensive standout: CB Zyon McCollum
McCollum was targeted four times on 32 coverage snaps against the Vikings, and he did not allow a single catch while breaking up two of the passes thrown in his direction. McCollum has broken up four passes so far this season.
Telling quote: "We're 0-3, and we're a game out of first place, so we have to get our stuff together. We [have to] reach down and do more, to a coach, to a person, to a player. We [have to] do more and figure out what [more] we can do. How can we be better and come back tomorrow and get ready to go?" — Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles.
Stat behind the stat — Powered by Microsoft Copilot: 6
Baker Mayfield was sacked six times, matching the Vikings' total sacks through the first two weeks combined.
The Buccaneers' offense struggled to stay on schedule all afternoon, repeatedly falling behind the chains. Minnesota's defense recorded six sacks and helped hold Tampa Bay to just two conversions on 17 third-down attempts. The constant pressure prevented the Buccaneers from establishing offensive rhythm and contributed to a frustrating 0-3 start.
Immerse yourself in the subtle drama of the Falcons-Packers meetup at Lambeau Field with our monochrome snapshots from Week 3.
